Chapter 45 – Kincaid
Chapter Forty-Five
Kincaid
Lumen doesn’t feel well following our night of partying, and my attempts to rouse her don’t go well. It’s cute, but I’m also a little concerned that she’s reached her limit of touring.
It happens.
I’ve seen killer musicians step away from careers as performers to focus on songwriting and composition just to avoid having to constantly be on the road.
We didn’t even get into the party favors Tennyson gave Riser, but that was mostly because we wanted to be fully clear for our hunt the beta extravaganza tonight.
None of us fell asleep before the sun rose, and even I struggled to pull myself out of bed. I was hoping Lumen would come with me to view the maze and speak to the resort owner, but I want her well-rested, so I head to the meeting solo.
The maze is incredible, and he assures me the gazebo in the center will be set up with a bed and fancy accommodations to make it feel magical.
I’m not in any shape to decorate it, so I hand him the five grand in cash.
“And I have your assurance the cameras will be cut off?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest.
While I would love to have a recording of what’s going down tonight, it’s safer to ensure no tape of the events can ever surface.
He nods. “The cameras will be shut down within the maze fence from ten p.m. to two a.m. I’ll have the security team do a sweep at ten-thirty to ensure no one else remains, and they’ll stay posted at the gates until you leave. No one else will be granted entrance during that time.”
All of that sounds perfect.
There’s a pool outside of the fence for the maze, but it closes at ten-thirty. My plan is to start around eleven to give anyone enjoying a dip in the hot tub time to clear out.
“Thank you.” I hold my hand out, and we shake.
“It’s my pleasure,” he says, smirking.
I bet he is pleased.
It’s a bit on the pricey side for a few hours of fun, but it’ll be worth it.
Now, I just need to spend some time seeing how many of the pathways I can memorize before it’s time to lure everyone else out of bed for dinner.
I have a fancy-as-fuck meal delivered to the cabin from the main resort. It’s convenient that they do room service or, I guess, cabin service.
The four of us get settled at the table, and I make sure Lumen is tucked in close to my side. We’re all still adjusting after the crazy hours on tour, and we’ve done a fair amount of skipping meals lately.
I want to make sure she has some calories in her system before she goes running through the maze.
Speaking of our adventure, we need to have a lengthy discussion about what’s on the table and what’s off-limits.
I get a healthy amount of food piled onto our plate, and I’m just about to broach the conversation about boundaries when Ten, Parish, and Wren come into the room.
Is there enough food for them?
Probably, but I shake my head.
They need to fuck off far away from here.
“Nah, sorry, we have a lot to discuss. The three of you can eat at any of the resort accommodations,” I say, not feeling even an ounce of guilt. “They have a buffet that’s included.”
Parish frowns, grabbing a breadstick off the platter. “You guys get steak, seafood, and pasta, and you’re sending us to the buffet?”
“Come on, Dad,” Tennyson says, chuckling. “Give the kids some spending money.”
That fucker’s family is straight-up wealthy, but I don’t feel like arguing with him. Tugging my wallet from my back pocket, I pull out a few hundreds, making sure I still have enough to tip the security guys who will be watching the gates at the maze.
“Daddy is definitely playing favorites tonight,” Parish chimes in.
Ten tries to grab the cash from my hand, but I reach around him, offering it to Wren.
“Here you go, sweetheart. You can treat tonight, and whatever is left over, keep it.” I wink, and Tennyson’s eyes narrow.
That man is going to crack, eventually. He’s just taking his sweet time about it. All three of us are on a mission to help him along. Otherwise, I think there will be a fallout between Ten and Parish long before Wren heads back to her normal life.
“Hey, thanks, Kincaid,” Wren says, laughing as she shoves the cash into her back pocket. “Sorry, I’m not calling you Daddy. That’s just not my thing, but you should definitely shoot your shot with Lumen.”
The beta in question snorts, snuggling close to my chest as I put my wallet away.
I chuckle.
I wouldn’t be opposed to being called Daddy or Sir. Whichever she’s more comfortable with would be perfect for me, but I also love it when she moans my name, begging for more.
As it turns out, I want her more than I want a Dom/sub dynamic. If she’s never down for those things, I’ll learn to adapt. If she is, I’m the type who likes to ease into it. We’ll get there eventually, or we won’t. As long as she’s by my side, I’ll be happy.
The others leave, and we dig in.
“Have you decided what you plan to wear tonight?” Mal asks as I offer Lumen a bite of ribeye.
She takes it, bringing her hand to her mouth as she chews. Once she swallows, she shrugs. “I thought about a dress, but I know it’s kinda chilly. Maybe leggings and a sweater? Something easy to be stripped out of.”
Mal’s head falls back, and he groans. “You can’t be saying shit like that at the dinner table. I’m going to have a perpetual hard-on for the next four hours.”
Riser snorts. “You should go for comfort. We can peel you out of anything. Should we bring blankets down to the gazebo?”
“This conversation is so weird.” Lumen laughs, grabbing her Dr Pepper.
Dammit.
I wish she would let me hold it for her.
Fine.
Maybe I should ask her to call me Daddy.
I get back on track, shaking my head. “I saw the space this afternoon. It has two large tower heaters. That should be plenty to keep us comfortable under the circumstances.”
“There’s always body heat.” Mal wiggles his eyebrows.
“We should talk about rules,” I say, scooping up a bite of mashed potatoes and offering it to Lumen. “Soft and hard limits—what you might be open to versus what you want to avoid. You also need a safe word…”
“I’ve been thinking about this,” Lumen says, pausing. “Hard limits are ass to mouth. Actually, let’s just convert that to, if your dick enters my ass, it’s off-limits to interact with any of my other body parts until you take a shower.”
Mal points across the table at her, nodding. “Totally reasonable.”
“Shh, let her focus.” Riser bumps his shoulder against Mal’s.
I offer Lumen a bite of Alfredo with a small piece of ribeye.
She takes it and scoops up her drink.
I want to give her plenty of time to think through what she wants to say.
There are three of us, and we’re alphas. I’ve got close to a foot in height on her, while Mal has more than a foot. I’ve also got forty or fifty pounds on her.
If we’re not careful, she could get hurt without any of us meaning to harm her.
Her scent has threatened to send me into rut on more than one occasion, and it scares the hell out of me thinking about what could happen if all three of us were lost to the fog.
I should have made this activity just for the two of us, but that’s shitty. Mal and Riser are equally excited about chasing her sexy little ass down.
“Okay, what else?” She hums. “No closed-fist punches. Hair pulling, choking, and open-handed slaps are hot, so those are on the table. I’m open to having sex with all three of you at once, but I don’t know for sure how we’ll make that work.
Someone should probably bring lube.” She brings her hands to her face, leaning against my shoulder. “This is so awkward.”
“Safe sex is hot,” Mal says.
At the same time, Riser chimes in with, “We’re all adults. It’s better to have guidelines for us to follow, especially since we outnumber you three to one.”
“Exactly,” I agree, running my fingers down her arm. “How do you feel about a red-light system for a safe word?”
She finally pulls her hands from her face and nods. “Green is good. Yellow means slow down or proceed with caution. If I say the word red, everything stops immediately. Is that right?”
“Exactly,” I say. “Would you like a few more bites of food?”
She brings her hand to her stomach and shakes her head. “Nah, I don’t want to get to the point where I’m stuffed.”
“Do you have any questions for us?” I ask.
She hums. “No, I don’t think so. I’ll let you know before tonight if anything pops up. Do you have any questions for me?”
Mal opens his mouth, and I fight the urge to kick him under the table. There’s never any way to predict what will come out of his mouth.
“Can we toss you around?” he asks. “Like, if we catch you in the maze, can I toss you over my shoulder and carry you to the gazebo?”
Lumen laughs. “Yeah, sure, if you want to throw your back out.”
I growl. “Any more of that, and I’ll bend you over the couch to spank your ass red before we leave the cabin.”
Well, shit.
And I had the audacity to be worried about what Mal would say?
Luckily, Lumen smacks my thigh, laughing.
I might need to take up Mal’s style of creating a game plan.
New plan: Don’t Dom too hard until you’re sure it won’t scare her off.
The air is crisp and cool while the moon hangs low in the sky. It’s quite full, offering a nice amount of ambient light when combined with the stars. It’s nothing like the light pollution within a city, but it’s beautiful.
Once we’re done touring every year, I’d love to settle down somewhere in the mountains. Florida is okay for those outdoorsy people who love the beach and the humidity.
I enjoyed it just fine when I was a teenager, but I long ago got over the lack of seasons.
Riser and Malcolm head to their respective sides of the maze. It has four openings, one on each side, and that’s perfect for our group. The only downside is that I’ll have to jog to the opening on the left side just to get started.
Still, I’ll deal.
I hit the gym five to six days a week for a reason.
Lumen shivers as we come to a stop in front of the maze entrance.
I step in front of her, running my hands down her arms. She’s wearing a thin long-sleeve T-shirt and leggings. She might be a bit cold until she gets moving, but I’m sure we’ll warm her right up.
“Are you okay?”
She nods. “Excited but nervous. What if I get lost in there? This is probably a shitty time to tell you that I have basically no sense of direction.”
I can’t help the bark of laughter that spills from my lips. “The maze has lighting throughout, but if you get nervous, follow lost in the woods protocol.” Her forehead wrinkles, and I bend down, kissing it. “Just stop in one spot and call out. We’ll come to you.”
“Got it,” she says, exhaling heavily.
“Whenever you’re ready, I’ll text the guys and scurry around to my entrance.”
The naughty little thing runs her hand over the bulge in my sweats, spins around, and takes off with no further warning.
Her hair flies through the air as she turns, and I’m left sniffing the space she was just in like a total weirdo.
Jesus.
I’m not entirely sure betas are supposed to smell that sweet, but I finally remember I need to text the guys.
I pull my phone from my pocket as I jog off toward the entrance I’m supposed to take.
This should be fun.
Riser better have remembered to drop off my mask. It’s just dark enough that they should be a fun surprise, and I’m almost positive we’ve been able to keep Lumen from finding out about their inclusion tonight.